With Reggie Jackson, Markieff Morris and Andre Drummond all off the books, it looks like the long rebuild is on in Detroit, and Haliburton is as good of a first piece as it gets. The Iowa State sophomore is similar to Ball in that he’s a lanky point guard with fantastic court vison.
He’s made a huge leap from his freshman season, nearly tripling his points per game and averaging 2.5 steals as well. He’s shot 50 percent from the field, 42 from three, dishing out 6.5 assists per game.
His basketball IQ transitions nicely to the other side of the court as well, and he’s easily one of the better backcourt defenders in the draft.
Unfortunately, Haliburton broke his wrist earlier in February, ending his season and almost certainly his college career. He’ll also be a year older than most other players taken in the Lottery. The Pistons shouldn’t be scared off by either of that, and would be happy with a player like him at the sixth pick.